Mulk Movie Review: A Tight Slap To The Religious Stereotypes

Most news channels have been flooded with news like interfaith couples chucked out of the hotel because of their religion, an elderly Muslim man brutally thrashed by young Hindu by forcing him to say Jai Sri Ram five times or worst brand them as terrorists.

Mulk is one such film which raises questions against the society and to ourselves who have been blindly following all this. Director Anubhav Sinha who was famous for his films like the romantic ballad Tum Bin and the hi-tech superhero flick Ra.One has done a very good job in choosing this subject.

The plot of the film is set in Banaras, UP which happens to be the holiest city in India. The city is the home to Murad Ali Muhammed (Rishi Kapoor) who is considered to be one of the most respected persons in the locality with their ensemble family which comprises of a Hindu daughter-in-law Aarti who lives with them.

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Despite the religious prejudices, they live contented and happy along with each other and treats their fellow Hindu neighbours as their friends. But their happiness is short-lived when the younger member of the family gets involved in a terrorist attack which happens in the city and he's killed by the authorities. The entire blame goes to Murad and he faces a lot of hate and flak from the society for harboring a terrorist. To add more insult to injury, Santosh Anand (Ashutosh Rana) starts shooting insults in the court by using his position of the prosecutor. Aarti steps forward and vows to prove that despite being a Muslim, their family believes in peace and harmony, not violence and bloodshed.

The theme is quite similar to what I watched in Chak De! India which dealt with the theme of nationalism, religion and the serious issue of partition. This one makes you raise questions about what is actually going on in the society and how can this be stopped, in the midst of political tension?

The technical aspects are well taken care of in this film, there is a dark filter in the camera used which is quite similar to Taapsee's most acclaimed film Pink which had a similar filter during the courtroom scenes or at the beginning of the film. The location Benares has been well utilized in this film and there's no doubt about it.

The film is a must watch for those who believe that be it any religion, it only promotes peace and harmony in the universe, not violence and bloodshed.